It uses the latest in MCP and FML technology to be reasonably version independent..

Version 4.0: new thing! Solar Hats. Sport the latest in smart hatwear, with built in solar array. Be careful though, all those EUs pulsing around your brain might make you feel a little bit weird. Mix your solar array with an iron helmet.

There is a production rate scaling factor: specify an integer greater than 1 for slower EU generation. Please don't abuse this setting- it's meant to maybe help server admins encourage other types of generation rather than solar array farms. This scale factor basically acts as a tick divider, but is deliberately slightly random as well.

This is a clean rewrite of the Compact Solar Arrays from Advanced Machines, using pure IC2 API. It's also a darn sight more CPU efficient.

A little spotlight by Techninja117. I love the pyramid at the end, showing how much you get in an HV array. Thanks!

Thanks very much to Soaryn for the hat textures, they're really stylin'

It works well that I can tell, though I welcome bug reports.

Downloads:All builds:http://files.minecraftforge.net/CompactSolars/Generally, grab the most recent listed build there.The recommended build will update for each official IC2 release.The latest build will generally be against latest forge and IC2 api and might be beta.

These are independently block textured from IC2 so I welcome texture pack offerings better than my slightly naff blending effort.

Many thanks go to Zipp for the inspiration for this- it wouldn't have happened without your kickstarter. Also, Zipp, buddy, if you ever return, I'm sorry for taking over, but I think there was a strong demand for this and I hope you can forgive me.

How will this work with (bukkit) worlds that already have an older advanced machines version in it? I was thinking of updating my server this weekend to 1.1 R4 and rolling in all of the recent updates. (Forge, Railcraft, IC2 1.7, Forestry...)

I entered here to start bitching, but then i had a change of heart, i think it really doesnt hurt too much people if someone takes and updates those godforsaken OP generators than only needs 1/512 of the space to generate the same amount of Energy :P, at least until alblaka find a decent way to implement these solar arrays without the opness of compressing 512+cables of block space into a single one.

Yeah, people don't typically take into account the wiring that's being saved as well. They are terribly OP, but they do serve a function, and short term it's the best solution we're going to get. I would like to see something more balanced someday but in the meantime, I'll settle for being able to see our SMP server upgraded in a timely fashion.

So wait... your issue with solars is that they are overpowered, not because of the materials needed, but because of the space?

So you'd rather have a solar array taking up space... for what reason? You;'d rather have each panel updating the eNet separately and lagging out the server and the game?

Ummm... OK? You do that. Glad that your opinion isn't the final word.

It is possible to make a 512 solar flower configuration to work like a single fucking big solar generation, but its something that could be said, its advanced and complicated to do (For the coder).

Taking enormous amounts of space (When you decide to build too many of those) its one of the aspects that balance the solar generator as a "place and forget" energy generator. (and the materials needed are just a slap on the wrist, its only difficult to make those early game, but mid to late game i can laugh at the amount of solar generators i can make "legally")

So wait... your issue with solars is that they are overpowered, not because of the materials needed, but because of the space?

Ummm... OK? You do that. Glad that your opinion isn't the final word.

Well first of all, you're breaking Wheaton's Law . Second, YES. SCALE MATTERS. If server CPU wasn't an issue, then scalability would eventually catch up with you, forcing you to seek better options for large scale power generation, namely nuclear. As intended. These arrays have the unfortunate side affect of making it too easy to skip any other form of power generation and just sit there and pump out solars all day. Is making 512 solars expensive? Absolutely. But you can build them incrementally so there's no forethought or upfront cost necessary. And once you have enough juice running to the mass fab, (which be honest, is the only reason you need that much ungodly power in the first place,) the material costs become trivial.

The only reason these things should exist at all is because of the server load. Which for the moment trumps game balance and therefore I still welcome the effort CPW is putting forth with open arms. But I hope I don't trivialize those same efforts when I say I hope IC will develop it's own more balanced solution eventually.

Yeah, people don't typically take into account the wiring that's being saved as well. They are terribly OP, but they do serve a function, and short term it's the best solution we're going to get. I would like to see something more balanced someday but in the meantime, I'll settle for being able to see our SMP server upgraded in a timely fashion.

did this guy just say terribly op LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.... Solar Panels are actually OPED and because of design flaws they can't reduce them under 1eu a tick and the reason they increased everything else by double output. Compact Solar Panels save you tin.. Yes let me state that again. TIN! lol...

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I see I've been threadjacked by the eternal debate over the merits of compacted solar panels. *sigh*

My opinion, solar is OP full stop. This is strictly a server efficiency issue- the CPU cost of large quantities of solars in a world is frightening. If you don't like solars, turn them off. There's an option right in the bukkit port to do it. Compact solars are no different. If space and TIN (LOL!) are really the reason this is OP compared to vanilla IC2 solars, well, I don't get it...

Anyway, SSP is done and working. SMP is being a bit of a pig. Hmmm. Anyway, not long now.

I love how people keep missing the point (And by a landslide if i may add), of why Solar Arrays so heavily compacted are OP.

If you dont see whats wrong with that picture, then i suggest you check your eyes post haste. Also ignore the fact that this amount of solar panels cause extreme lag thats a fact that its already well know, we are discussing how OP solar Arrays are not how useful.

Now if you see the image above you will see to the left that i filled a entired chunk (16x16) with solar generators for a grand total of 256 blocks in space consumed by this, if you add the cables beneath this setup it should very well sum a total of 512 blocks of space. (Solar trees may reduce Number of tin cables by a wooping 10-20%, havent done any real math on it).

And to the right would be a representation of a HV solar array, consuming a Hayoish 1 block of space (2 of you had the cable to transfer the energy).

Do remember that i only used half the solar generatiors a HV solar array actually uses, because the full setup would come to the wooping number of 1024 blocks of space used for it. IF you really can't see why solar arrays are so terrible OP then im afraid there is no hope for you.

And yes CPW sorry for the threadjacking, but dont worry, as soon as you release the solar arrays whatever i said here will be totally and completely ignored anyway so meh. (Also in no way im saying you should stop the launch of the solar arrays since like i said in another thread, necessity trumped over balance.)

I'm really not sure what difference it is to have one block making 512eu/t or 512 blocks make 1eu/t apart from making servers cry and server admins age early. The amount of resources used is about the same and I know on my server there's a buttload of space we could just haul up solar panels out in a desert out of the way. Nice picture above, but all it shows is that it takes two chunks for 512eu/t from standard solars. Compacted solar's are only as OP as solar panels are themselves, they just run a lot smoother.

Best solution of all is if you don't like them, don't use them. Applies to any block or mod or item in the game, really. I'm not using them myself, and I don't intend to have them on my server because A. I'd rather have people actually go into nuclear power and B. if someone goes and builds 512 solar panels, they won't be there for long

I'm really not sure what difference it is to have one block making 512eu/t or 512 blocks make 1eu/t apart from making servers cry and server admins age early. The amount of resources used is about the same and I know on my server there's a buttload of space we could just haul up solar panels out in a desert out of the way. Nice picture above, but all it shows is that it takes two chunks for 512eu/t from standard solars. Compacted solar's are only as OP as solar panels are themselves, they just run a lot smoother.

Best solution of all is if you don't like them, don't use them. Applies to any block or mod or item in the game, really. I'm not using them myself, and I don't intend to have them on my server because A. I'd rather have people actually go into nuclear power and B. if someone goes and builds 512 solar panels, they won't be there for long

I was preparing to chew you for being dumb enough for not reading what i said and completely stating the obvious, but for respect of CPW banning all discussion about solar arrays in a solar array thread i will not say any more about the issue here.

I was preparing to chew you for being dumb enough for not reading what i said and completely stating the obvious, but for respect of CPW banning all discussion about solar arrays in a solar array thread i will not say any more about the issue here.

I really question the necessity of your posts ._. You post your opinion and no one may criticise it. Makes no sense to me. I would mark it as spam.